Heavy rains batter erstwhile Adilabad district; Kaddam project gates lifted 

Heavy to very heavy rainfall lashed several parts of the erstwhile Adilabad district on Saturday, cutting off road connectivity between low-lying areas and the mainland in Agency areas and severely disrupting normal life.

Six family members, including three women and a boy of one Ganesh Gaikwad, who were stranded in their house after it was marooned by floodwaters in Seetagondi village of Gudihathnoor mandal, Adilabad district, were rescued by the District Disaster Response Force (DDRF). District Collector Rajarshi Shah and Superintendent of Police (SP) Akhil Mahajan visited the spot to oversee the rescue operation.

Adilabad and Mancherial were among seven districts forecast to receive very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall on Saturday, according to an India Meteorological Department (IMD) bulletin issued in the afternoon. The two districts are also predicted to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall on Sunday.

With the Kaddam Narayana Reddy project in Nirmal district receiving heavy inflows, irrigation officials on Saturday lifted 16 crest gates to discharge 1.56 lakh cusecs into the river, which joins the Godavari downstream.

Nirmal District Collector Abhilasha Abhinav said that besides local rainfall, heavy rain in Maharashtra had also led to a rise in floodwaters in the Kaddam, Swarna and Gaddenna Vagu projects.

She advised people not to venture near river basins, streams and low-lying areas. Cattle herders were warned against taking their livestock into river or stream paths. Farmers, fishermen and others were also asked to stay away from river basin areas.

With swollen streams and rivulets snapping connectivity to several remote villages in the erstwhile Adilabad district, locals are facing severe hardship as they struggle to reach mandal headquarters and towns for essential needs, including medical emergencies. Several colonies in Luxettipet, Mandamarri and Mancherial towns were inundated.

Meanwhile, irrigation projects across the four districts received heavy inflows. Kumram Bheem, Matthadivagu, Sathnala, Gollavagu and Rallavagu projects were swollen due to incessant rainfall. Standing crops were damaged in several parts of the erstwhile Adilabad district, leaving farmers worried.

Jagtial Collector directs officials to stay alert

With the IMD predicting more heavy rainfall across Jagtial district, Collector B. Satya Prasad issued a red alert to all departments, directing officials to remain on the ground round-the-clock to prevent loss of life and property.

Personally inspecting flood-affected areas on Saturday, including low-level bridges at Anantaram, Rayapatnam, Dharmapuri Godavari catchment, Nerella and Rechapalli, the Collector reviewed the situation and issued key instructions to officials.

“People should remain alert, avoid crossing overflowing streams, ponds and causeways, and contact the control room in case of danger,” the Collector said. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the Godavari, while devotees heading to Dharmapuri were cautioned against taking a dip in the river due to strong currents.

Inflows rise into SRSP in Nizamabad district

Water levels in the Sri Rama Sagar Project (SRSP) in Nizamabad district continued to rise on Saturday, with steady inflows from upper catchment areas. As of 3:00 pm on August 16, the reservoir stood at 1,083 feet, against its full reservoir level (FRL) of 1,091 feet (332.53 m). The project was holding 53.62 TMC of water compared to its design capacity of 80.5 TMC.

According to project authorities, instant inflows were recorded at 1,04,879 cusecs, while outflow was restricted to 4,952 cusecs to retain the rising inflow.